Youth Activity Barn

The SLA Youth Activity Barn

A Place to Go, A Place to Grow: The SLA Youth Activity Barn

Here at the SLA , we are continually evaluating our programs and facilities to ensure we are true to our mission and continue to foster stewardship. Over the past two years, the evaluation process has revealed a critical limitation in the form of our facilities. Each summer, over 300 children participate in our youth programming and we continue to enhance our community outreach programming. Although our facilities have greatly improved over the past decade, we have always lacked indoor space large enough to conduct our programming in inclement weather.


Our need for space was made very clear during the summers of 2008 and 2009, with threatening weather occurring daily; challenging staff and compromising the experience for program participants. Despite the weather, the youth program staff’s creativity and optimism ensured campers’ happiness in the rain. When safety was an issue, however, activities were limited to quiet games beneath a tarp, movie watching in a corner of the SLA store or arts and crafts in the SLA maintenance garage.

When inclement weather strikes, our programs need a place to go.

The Squam Lakes Watershed is a unique place we have all come to cherish; a place where families re-unite, a place where magnificent vistas remain unspoiled and a place we all aim to preserve for generations to come. Since the Junior Squam Lakes Association was established, the SLA has focused on fostering relationships among area youth through outdoor activities. As we plan for the future, we understand the importance of fostering an appreciation for the watershed, but our programming islimited by a lack of space.

To fulfill our mission, our programs need a place to grow.

As a result, the SLA is embarking on a Capital Campaign to build The SLA Youth Activity Barn, which will provide us with the most efficient, flexible way to meet our needs for a facility to host our present and future youth programs. It will give us the space we need to continue fulfilling our mission to conserve, educate and promote healthy recreation on and around Squam. The Barn will include space for indoor youth activities, program equipment storage, and restrooms. Furthermore, as we continue to enhance our service to the local community, the Barn will provide the critically needed indoor space for the programming we conduct with local school and community groups.

In a conversation about the campaign, Youth Program Manager Jenne Walker had this to say about the Barn; “Bottom line: it’s about safety. The SLA Youth Activity Barn will provide us with the facilities we need for children in our programs to have a safe and educational experience on Squam, an experience that will keep them coming back year after year.”

Our goal to raise $300,000 is well on its way; the donated timber has been harvested and milled from a local stand in the Squam Range , a local timber framer from Tamworth has been selected and we have received pledges to support more than 50 percent of the project. We hope you will join those who have already committed to this project by making a pledge to the Youth Activity Barn. You can make a difference in this effort. Every level of support is a vital component to the final assembly of the barn.

If you would like to contribute the SLA Youth Activity Barn, download a pledge card and return it to the Squam Lakes Association, PO Box 204 Holderness, NH 03245. Pledge cards can be downloaded from our website at: http://www.squamlakes.org/

Thank you for your support!